This lamb dish, lucknavi biryani is a great example of the Awadhi cuisine from Lucknow. It has wonderfully complex flavours, and is a work of art when presented well.
A lamb is a sheep that is under one year old, and its flesh is known to be tender and its flavour delicate. It is the palest of meat and best slaughtered at 6 to 8 weeks old.
Meat from older sheep is called hogget and are lambs from 1 to 2 years old, of stronger flavour and less tender meat.
Lambs’ meat older than 2 years is called mutton. It has much more flavour and needs slow cooking to tenderize its tough flesh. The older the lamb, the deeper is its colour.
Lamb cutlets, barbecued, using three different marinades. Burra kebabs are from Awadhi cuisine, and are a common street food in Lucknow.
Lamb with lentils and vegetables, or dhansak, has something for everyone - lamb, lentils, pumpkin, eggplant, and a creamy texture with no dairy products.
A dish rather like a korma but much simpler in its preparation. Dopiazza has more onion than you might expect and consequently has a beautiful smooth texture.
Spiced lamb meatballs in a tomato and coconut milk sauce. A specialty from Chettinad, kari kola urundai kuzhambu takes some time prepare, but the results are well worth the effort.
Lucknavi raan is a slow roasted lamb leg dish. It has a delicate taste that enhances the flavour of the meat, and is very visually appealing. A special occasion dish.
The Indian Railways' take on "meat and three veg" served to First Class passengers. A hallmark recipe from the Raj.
Laal maas is a smoky, fiery, slow cooked, hunter style lamb dish from Rajasthan. Kashmiri chillies lend a deep colour, heat and depth to this dish - and you need a lot of them.
A more robust home cooked version of the restaurant staple. Colourful, aromatic and spicy, this Kashmiri lamb dish is quite special.
This Hyderabadi dish of lamb, cooked with leafy green vegetables, or saag gosht, is a restaurant and home-cooked favourite. Spiced lamb, covered with clinging silverbeet. It could be cooked with almost any leafy vegetable.
This lamb recipe epitomises all that is special about Mughal cuisine. Korma bahadur shahi is mild, with aromatic spices, creamy texture, dried fruit, nuts and the main ingredient highlighted to perfection.
Rich and luscious lamb shanks, slow braised in spices and yoghurt. This dish, naili gosht, comes from Lucknow and shows the Mughal influence on Awadhi cuisine .